The 4 best fuel-efficient ways to maximise your MPG in 20mph zones

The last few weeks has seen a renewed focus on 20mph zones, which are becoming increasingly common throughout the UK. In the last few months, the government has even been considering restricting the ability of some councils to impose these 20mph speed limits. Despite this though, their safety benefits are clear, so it looks likely that the existing ones aren’t going anywhere any time soon.

That means you (or your staff) may well end up driving a fleet vehicle through a 20mph zone at some point, especially if your work often takes you through built-up urban areas. And while it’s true that they make things a lot safer for pedestrians, they can also make it a lot more difficult to keep your journeys fuel-efficient. We know a thing or two about fuel efficiency here at TankSafe, as the developers of the pioneering TankSafe Optimum. Here are a couple of our top tips!

Maintain the highest gear possible (within the speed limit)

Like a lot of the advice we’re about to detail in this article as a whole, this is a good thing to bear in mind for your driving regardless of where you’re driving, and what the speed limit is. 

In 20mph zones though, you’ll generally find that the highest gear you can safely go within the limit is second. It’s best to change up to this as quickly as you can each time you get moving, with the lowest revs possible (ideally about 2000rpm). Try not to let it get higher than this if you can – remember that the faster an engine spins, the more fuel it consumes. 

Make sure to keep an ear on it – you’ll need to listen to the engine to ensure that you’re not using excessive amounts of revs, but also not too few either. Otherwise your vehicle will be essentially labouring too much, which will shorten its operational lifespan. (You don’t want your fuel savings to just end up going on repairs!) 

Anticipate what’s ahead

Another universal driving rule, it’s an especially important one when you’ve got limited speeds you can do. If you’re reacting too late to the changing road conditions and upcoming obstacles ahead, you’ll likely end up doing a lot of sharp acceleration and hard braking, and that’s going to be both unpleasant and potentially dangerous, particularly when you’re driving a large HGV. The further you can see out ahead and the sooner you can react, the safer and smoother you’ll be.

So with that in mind, keep your vision focused as far ahead as you can (without losing attention of the road immediately ahead, obviously), and gently use your steering, accelerator and brakes. Hills can be a particular challenge when you’re limited to relatively low speeds, so one good way to deal with them is to accelerate a bit before you reach one (if it’s safe to do so), and then ease off the pedal as you drive up them. The extra momentum should give you a bit of extra push, and save you on the fuel you’d have otherwise been using to push all the way through. 

Think about weight

This is probably something you’ll need to consider back at the depot rather than out on the roads – essentially, you’ll want to be as economical as you can with your vehicle’s weight. That’s going to depend a lot on the nature of your sector, and the nature of your specific work as a company. So, for example, you’ll need to think about whether it would be better to combine trips, and take more cargo or tools on your initial journey, or whether it would be better to strip out all unnecessary weight from your vehicle and lighten the load as far as you can, which will also increase your fuel efficiency. 

There’s no straightforward answer to this choice, but either way, the main thing to ensure is that you’re not taking any unnecessary stuff that you don’t need on any given journey. That particularly applies to heavy items like cargo, stock and machinery or equipment, as they can add significant amounts of weight to a vehicle that can severely impact its fuel efficiency. 

Turn off your AC or heating

We know – this is one that might seem particularly unattractive if you’re driving, and if you’re a fleet manager than it might be a bit of a hard sell to your staff! But there’s often a lot of confusion about whether your air conditioning or heating actually uses fuel – and the short answer is yes, it does. It’s a relatively minimal impact (turning it off won’t make up for the fuel used by poor driving, for example), but still, if you’re really looking to maximise that fuel saving then really it’s best to dress for the journey instead, especially if you’re lucky enough for it to be a relatively short one.

And of course, we’d be remiss not to mention the obvious – keep your vehicles in good repair! 

Those are just some of our top picks for top tips – you may be able to think of one or two that might work for you! And if you’re looking at protecting the fuel you’ve managed to save, that’s exactly where we can help here at TankSafe. First and foremost amongst reliable range of fuel protection devices is TankSafe Optimum – an antisiphon device which we’ve specifically designed to provide 100% protection, so you can have peace of mind against fuel spills, overfilling, and skimming. 

You can find out more on its dedicated page on our website, or find out answers to some of the most common questions over on our FAQs page. If you’ve still got queries, our experts will be happy to resolve them - fee free to give us a quick call on 01253 400 401, and we’ll be happy to help however we can!